Expandable aircraft door

Abstract

A deformable aircraft door which is movable between open and closed positions and is adapted to substantially maintain contact with the door frame for reducing a perimeter gap between the door and the door frame. The aircraft door comprises an edge portion which is formed to engage the door frame, and an elastic portion which is attached to the edge portion. The elastic portion is selectively expandable and contractible for permitting movement of the edge portion relative to the door frame when the aircraft door is in the closed position so as to substantially maintain contact between the edge portion and the door frame despite changes in the geometry of the door frame.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A deformable aircraft door movable between open and closed positions and adapted to substantially maintain contact with a door frame for reducing a perimeter gap between the door and the door frame, the aircraft door comprising: an edge portion formed to engage the door frame; and   an elastic portion attached to the edge portion, the elastic portion being selectively expandable and contractible for permitting movement of the edge portion relative to the door frame when the aircraft door is in the closed position so as to substantially maintain contact between the edge portion and the door frame despite changes in the geometry of the door frame.   
     
     
       2. The aircraft door of claim 1 wherein the elastic portion is fabricated from an elastomeric material. 
     
     
       3. The aircraft door of claim 2 wherein the elastomeric material is silicon. 
     
     
       4. The aircraft door of claim 1 wherein the door frame defines an opening which is of a first area and the aircraft door is sized so as to be of a second area which is normally less than the first area. 
     
     
       5. The aircraft door of claim 1 wherein the door frame defines an opening which is of a first area and the aircraft door is sized so as to be of a second area which is normally greater than the first area. 
     
     
       6. The aircraft door of claim 1 wherein the edge portion comprises multiple edge segments. 
     
     
       7. The aircraft door of claim 6 wherein the elastic portion defines multiple transition regions, each of said transition regions being attached to and extending between a respective pair of the edge segments. 
     
     
       8. The aircraft door of claim 6 further comprising a door panel attached to the elastic portion. 
     
     
       9. The aircraft door of claim 8 wherein the expansion and contraction of the elastic portion results in the movement of each of the edge segments along a respective axis of motion, and said aircraft door further comprises at least one actuator device mechanically coupled to the edge segments for selectively facilitating the movement thereof along respective ones of the axes of motion. 
     
     
       10. The aircraft door of claim 9 further comprising at least one guiding rod extending between each of the edge segments and the door panel for guiding the movement of the edge segments along respective ones of the axes of motion. 
     
     
       11. The aircraft door of claim 10 wherein each of the guiding rods is attached to the door panel and is extended through the elastic portion into slidable engagement with a respective one of the edge segments. 
     
     
       12. The aircraft door of claim 10 wherein each of the guiding rods is attached to a respective one of the edge segments and is extended through the elastic portion into slidable engagement with the door panel. 
     
     
       13. The aircraft door of claim 10 further comprising multiple guiding rods extending between each of the edge segments and the door panel. 
     
     
       14. The aircraft door of claim 13 wherein at least one pair of guiding rods is extended between each of the edge segments and the door panel, with one of the guiding rods of the pair being attached to the edge segment and extended through the elastic portion into slidable engagement with the door panel, and the other guiding rod of the pair being attached to the door panel and extended through the elastic portion into slidable engagement with the edge segment. 
     
     
       15. The aircraft door of claim 9 wherein said at least one actuator device comprises multiple actuator devices mechanically coupled to respective ones of the edge segments. 
     
     
       16. The aircraft door of claim 9 further comprising a control device electrically connected to the actuator device for selectively controlling the movement of the edge segments along respective ones of the axes of motion in response to sensed conditions related to the geometry of the door frame. 
     
     
       17. A method of making a deformable aircraft door movable between open and closed positions and adapted to substantially maintain contact with a door frame for reducing a perimeter gap between the door and the door frame, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an edge portion on the aircraft door which is sized and configured to engage the door frame;   (b) attaching an elastic portion to the edge portion; and   (c) selectively expanding and contracting the elastic portion to facilitate the movement of the edge portion relative to the door frame when the aircraft door is in the closed position so as to substantially maintain contact between the edge portion and the door frame to compensate for changes in the geometry of the door frame.   
     
     
       18. The method of claim 17 wherein step (b) comprises forming the elastic portion via an open molding process.